


Family Meeting

by bossxtweed



Series: Jack & Sam [3]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Family, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:28:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21685276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bossxtweed/pseuds/bossxtweed
Summary: With the help of the Doctor, Jack takes Jessica back in time to the moment of her father's death so that she can meet him.
Relationships: jack harkness x samuel johnson
Series: Jack & Sam [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563229
Kudos: 2





	Family Meeting

“Now, listen, Jess… when Sam was murdered, he was _gutted,_ and I mean that quite literally. It’s not something you want to see. _I_ could barely stand to see it to where I threw up when we found him, and he was the only one who knew I was pregnant with you, and--”

Jessica reached up and placed one hand on her dad’s shoulder. “ _Please,_ dad. I **want** to meet him!”

He sighed. “Fine… fine. I’ll call in a favor, but _only_ if you agree to follow my rules _exactly._ Don’t interact with _anyone_ **except** your father, and you _can’t_ tell him **_anything_ ** about the future. No cellphones, television, that sort of thing.”

She quirked a brow. “But… will it matter? As grim as that is to say, he won’t have long, will he?”

That gave him pause. That same old speech -- that of not revealing anything of the future -- had simply left his mouth before he could stop it, and he pursed his lips together, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his sorrow. When he spoke, it was little above a whisper. “No… no, I suppose it won’t. Excuse me,” he patted one of her shoulders and wiped away a stray tear on his way out of the room.

Jessica could merely stare after him.

\-----------

Summer, 1943, aboard a British military train traveling through France, a fateful day in which a young, hopeful man met his end. He should have seen it coming, but he simply hadn’t. 

Campbell --- it’d been Campbell.

Sam tried to scream. He called out for Jack, needing to tell him that Campbell couldn’t be trusted, that Campbell was a monster, that Campbell deserved punishment, and above all else, Jack needed to know how much he loved him. 

Beautiful blue eyes, a smile that made his heart melt, knowledge beyond this time and place, and a nice tuckus to finish it off (which still made him blush to think of), all of which had enamored Sam, were suddenly all gone. 

Taking shallow breaths, Sam assessed his wounds. _Definitely fatal._ He wondered, vaguely, why he felt no fear or panic, and the word _venom_ floated to the forefront of his thoughts. Campbell had poisoned him. Or -- or _numbed him,_ somehow, or perhaps he had simply entered shock as one hand futility tried to hold his intestines in. 

He took in a breath and the air felt different. His heart had stopped.

“Jack?”

Standing before him with tears in those beautiful blue eyes, Jack smiled sadly and nodded.

“Jack, Campbell! Campbell, he--- he---”

It happened before his brain could fully process--Jack crouched down, cupped Sam’s face in his hands, kissed his forehead, and then moved aside, sitting criss-cross, one hand now holding tightly onto Sam’s own. Sam gazed lovingly at Jack and wondered vaguely how he would solve this. _If anyone knows what can be done, it’s Jack._

Although, Jack looked _different._ **Older** and **_thinner,_ ** and did this mean he had _lost_ the child? Sam’s mother had miscarried after her sister’s unfortunate and untimely demise, and perhaps Jack’s grief---

“Sam,” Jack began gently. They hadn’t much time, and Jack’s heart ached as he watched his lover’s thoughts drift further and further away. “I know you’re in pain, and I can’t lie to you: you don’t have much time left. I have a friend who _stopped time_ for us, but we can only have a few moments, and you _need_ to focus.”

Sam nodded through the pain. Tears formed in his eyes and he sought out Jack’s hand for comfort. “I’m scared, Jack. Not for me. For you. For our baby. How will you manage it?”

Jack smiled and exhaled through his nose. “That’s a large part of why I came back, Sam. So you can meet our baby.” He turned his head towards where Jess stood, looking awkward and sheepish. 

Following his gaze, Sam’s brown eyes narrowed as he took in the woman before him. “This--”

“--is our daughter, Jessica. She’s waited a long time to meet you.” 

Jess knelt down in front of him, tears welling in her eyes, and silence filled the room as the family sat together for the first time. 

Finally she spoke. “Hello.”

Sam laughed. “You’re french?”

“I was born in France and raised by a french couple… so, I suppose?”

Sam ducked his head suddenly as a sharp wave of pain flooded through him. Through gritted teeth he whispered an apology.

“Sam, no. **_No_**. _You’ve_ got nothing to apologize for -- if anything, it’s _me_ who should be apologizing,” Jack insisted. “If we hadn’t been together, Campbell would’ve left you alone, and--”

It took immense effort for Sam to lift his head upright, and he leaned backwards against the wall to look up at Jack with tears in his eyes. “I would’ve _hated_ not knowing you. You made everything _so_ exciting and I love you, Jack.”

The elder man leaned over and pressed a kiss to Sam’s forehead. “I love you, too.”

Looking on, Jess wiped away a few loose tears.

Sam turned towards her then. “Tell me, sweetheart: about your life, about your family. If this is the only chance we get to talk, I want to hear _everything.”_

Jess obliged with a sad smile.

“I’m married to a beautiful woman, Chana; she’s got dark hair and dark eyes and dark skin and has been my best friend since we were children; and together we have twins, Anna and…” Jessica paused and met Jack’s glance, wondering if she continue. Her father nodded. “Samuel. Our son is named Samuel, in honor of you.”

A wide grin split across Samuel’s face. “Really? Oh, I imagine he looks _just_ like his grandfather, with the striking jaw and dazzling eyes and--” a flush overtook his cheeks and he shifted one hand in a further vain attempt at retaining his entrails. 

“No, actually,” she interjected. “He looks a lot like _you_ . Though he’s somewhat bitter that, though Anna’s a few minutes younger, she’s also _taller_ than he is. It led to a lot of interesting _discussions_ while they were growing up.”

“Childish spats?” Sam asked with a smile. “My siblings and I used to always fight like that when we were young -- although I’m one of the oldest, _everyone_ outgrew me…. My baby sister _prided herself_ on being nearly six inches taller.”

“I have an adopted brother as well---I’ve had to watch him age over the past fifty years---I---I inherited what dad has, whatever it is,” she explained. 

Sam’s expression fell, his eyes growing wide as he read between the lines, realizing that _something_ **_terrible_ ** had happened to her, and he felt a strong wave of rage at whoever had hurt his baby. “You _died_ ,” he stated quietly.

Sensing her father’s growing anger, Jessica met Jack’s gaze again, not wanting to upset Sam more than he was; not wanting him to die angry at things beyond his control. Jack moved one hand to gently rub Sam’s back.

“....yes,” Jess repeated, just as quietly. “But I came back and was still able to raise my children, watch them grow into wonderful people with their own families, and I’m **_so_ ** glad to have met you, dad. Even despite the circumstances.”

Sam managed a smile and nodded. “Yes…. yes,” and he turned to Jack, who was also crying, “Thank-you, Jack. For everything.” 

Time restarted and Sam took one last terrible breath, his hand falling away from his middle, his intestines spilling out, and Jack gave Sam one last kiss before reaching out for Jessica’s hand and leading her away.


End file.
